Former New Mexico Governor and United Nations Ambassador Bill Richardson has passed away at the age of 75, as reported by multiple sources. Richardson, a prominent figure in American politics and diplomacy, had recently garnered attention for his efforts in the release of Women’s National Basketball League player, Brittney Griner, who was detained in Russia. Richardson had been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement in Griner’s return to the United States.
Mickey Bergman, the vice president of the Richardson Center, confirmed the sad news in a statement, saying that Richardson had “passed away peacefully.” Bergman also highlighted Richardson’s lifelong dedication to serving others, both in his political career and in his later work assisting individuals wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad.
Bergman stated, “Governor Richardson passed away peacefully in his sleep last night. He lived his entire life in the service of others — including both his time in government and his subsequent career helping to free people held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.”
Born in Pasadena, California, Richardson spent part of his childhood in Mexico City, where he had a Mexican mother and an American father. He later moved to New Mexico after completing his college education. Richardson’s political journey began as a Capitol Hill staffer, followed by his successful election to Congress in 1982, where he served from 1983 to 1997. He later held the position of Secretary of Energy during President Bill Clinton’s administration.
In 2002, Richardson was elected as the Governor of New Mexico. He also ran for the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 2008 but withdrew from the race after finishing fourth in several crucial states.
President Barack Obama nominated Richardson for Secretary of Commerce, but he declined the appointment in 2009 due to a federal investigation related to his tenure as governor, which involved allegations of a “pay-to-play” environment. Additionally, Richardson faced scrutiny during his time as Secretary of Energy when computer equipment and nuclear information went missing from the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Richardson’s expertise in diplomacy, honed during his time as a UN ambassador, earned him the unofficial title of “the informal undersecretary for thugs.” He played a pivotal role in securing the release of hostages and American military personnel from countries like North Korea, Iraq, Cuba, Sudan, and, most recently, Russia, where he was involved in the prisoner swap of Brittney Griner and arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death.”
Furthermore, Richardson established and led the Richardson Center, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting global peace and dialogue through less formal diplomatic channels. In reflecting on Richardson’s legacy, Mickey Bergman expressed that the world had lost a champion who tirelessly worked to secure the release of those unjustly detained abroad.
“There was no person that Governor Richardson would not speak with if it held the promise of returning a person to freedom,” Bergman said. “The world has lost a champion for those held unjustly abroad, and I have lost a mentor and a dear friend.”
